Oh Om Nom, you are so adorable. So greedily adorable. How could I resist Cut the Rope: Time Travel? I can’t. I won’t! Which is why this week, Android Amusements is playing Cut the Rope: Time Travel, Zepto Lab’s latest installments of that insatiable, green blob-critter Om Nom.Cut the Rope: Time Travel‘s premise is simple. Somehow, Om Nom has gained the ability to travel through time. So, he’s going back to six different eras to visit his ancestors that reside there. Coincidentally, they all share his passion for candy. Which means players get to spend 15 levels in each era feeding not one Om Nom, but two. Of course, that’s only 90 levels for the moment. Zepto Labs has once again committed to providing free updates. So eventually, more levels will be added.

The basic mechanics remain the same. This is still the physics puzzler you remember. Candy dangles from ropes and players must cut the ropes at the right time, or in the right order, or perhaps even in the right places, to ensure the Om Noms are fed. Success means being one step closer to visiting every ancestor. Failure means cursing the game as you wonder what it, not you, did wrong. (It’s never my fault. Probably.) As expected, there are new switches, which means you have to think before swiping, but basically it all comes down to trial and error if you want to succeed. Since success means seeing cute cartoons, you’ll have a little extra motivation to win.

Like previous Cut the Rope games, Cut the Rope: Time Travel has the unique ability to make you feel really, incredibly smart one level, and then inconceivably stupid the next. I swear, there were a few levels where, once I figured out the trick to flipping the switches and succeeding, I wonder how I managed to dress myself in the morning, let alone graduate college. Every level can be solved if you apply yourself. It’s just working out that solution can take a while.

Which is part of the Cut the Rope series’ charm. Om Nom will be fed. The candy gorging is imminent. It’s just up to you to work out the logistics. But don’t worry, you have as much time as you need. He isn’t going anywhere and it’s not like you only get a certain amount of energy before you have to stop playing and wait for it to recharge.

I have to admit, it’d a relief to return to a game like Cut the Rope: Time Travel after playing Candy Crush Saga and Bubble Witch Saga. Those games were constantly reaching for my wallet, to the point where it seemed I couldn’t play or advance without paying. Cut the Rope: Time Travel does have in-app purchases, but you don’t have to pay a thing. All levels can be beaten on your own, if you work hard enough. But, if you do need a little extra boost, you can unlock all levels buy purchasing the $3.99 Star Key. You can also buy “superpower” if you need help getting Om Nom and his ancestors fed in a specific level, but I say, exercise your brain and don’t bother.

In short, Cut the Rope: Time Travel is lovely. It’s a fun, adorable game that I love just as much as the original Cut the Rope, if not more. I appreciated the challenge of having two Om Noms to feed and loved the graphics. While there is a free option, I went with the $0.99 version and recommend it as well. You’ll get a lot of entertainment for your $1.